You'll Never Be Alone
by SilverScyther
Summary: When Near was told he would be alone for his entire life he decided to take action and ask someone out to prove Mello wrong. He ended up approaching Matt hoping he'd be able to find someone willing to understand him or at least to help him beat Mello once again. Male/Male relationship NearxMatt and a bit of MelloxNear.
1. Chapter 1

Matt was about to win a race in Mario Kart, but he was thrown off at the last second by a soft knock on his door. "Damn it, Peach your time will come I can promise you that," Matt growled at the screen after falling into second place, the princess looked a little too smug for his liking.

He huffed and made his way to the door to his room slightly annoyed at whoever was disturbing him. He didn't have Mello's explosive temper, but messing up his gaming was sacrilegious. He flung the door open and was ready to give a tongue lashing to the person, but he stopped in surprise when he realized it was Near standing in front of him. The smaller boy was fidgeting awkwardly and playing with the bunny he held in his hand.

"Um, what's up Near?" Matt wasn't entirely sure what to say, the white haired kid had never really gone out of his way to seek him out. "Are you looking for Mello or something?"

"No," Near responded simply.

"Then do you want to tell me why you're here?" Matt asked his annoyance starting to be phased out by confusion at the fact that Near was in front of him.

"Yes," Near nodded, but said nothing else.

"So why are you here?" Matt asked gently seeing that the boy wouldn't speak until specifically asked.

"I wanted to see if Matt wanted to go on a date?" Near's statement came out as a question as if he wasn't sure that was what he wanted.

Matt was frozen in shock, he rarely talked to Near and the pale boy had showed no actual interest in him before. Even now his face was almost entirely blank aside from a tinge of something, Matt guessed was nervousness. "Why do you want to go on a date with me of all people? Actually why do you want to go on a date at all? You don't seem like the kind of person who'd be interested in a relationship," Matt was still trying to figure out what was going on. Princess Peach's victory had left his thoughts now he was entirely focused on Near.

"Mello spoke to me in the library and after a rant his main point was that I would be alone for my entire life because I'm an emotionless robot," Near stated casually. Matt winced at the sad thought, but it still didn't entirely explain why Near was in front of him. "He proceeded to bet that I would never get anyone to go on a date with me. Though I am inclined to agree as I don't get along with most people I felt obligated to accept his challenge."

"So you decided you needed to go on a date and you chose me?" Matt repeated dumbly.

"Yes, I believe you are the most viable candidate for a date," Near nodded to himself.

"What you ran the numbers or something?" Matt joked slightly, wondering if Near actually did some calculations.

"Or something," Near confirmed. "You are one of the few people on an intellectual level similar to my own and convievably Mello's, your temperament is somewhat nice, and you don't act extremely uncomfortable around me. I also believe you're more aesthetically pleasing than most of the other people I would consider," Near's compliments were so clinical that there was no denying he was being completely honest.

Matt felt surprisingly flattered and smirked, "So you think I'm smart, cool, and sexy?"

"In less crude terms, perhaps something like that," Near shrugged, "I can offer you my allowance if you'd like incentive."

"I'm not a prostitute," Matt cocked his head at Near's offer. It was sad that he had so little faith in himself that he felt the need to offer money to someone just to get them to spend time with him.

Near blinked a few times, "I wasn't soliciting you for sex, I'm sorry if I implied that somehow."

"No, I meant that you don't need to pay me," Matt hastily back tracked holding his hands wide. "I'm pretty pissed at Mello anyway, so I'd be happy to get back at him and go on this date," Matt smiled and Near managed to respond with his own small smile.

Matt offhandedly realized Near was actually fairly cute when he wasn't staring blankly, but dismissed the thought for the time being. "Good," Near nodded almost to himself. He turned to Matt to ask, "What do you do on a date?"

"Why don't you just leave things up to me? It's not like we can actually leave the house so it won't be like a normal date," Matt had no idea what Near might plan if left to his own devices, it would probably be weird.

"We aren't normal though are we?" Near asked playing with a lock of his hair, twisting it between his fingers.

"You've got that right," Matt grinned resisting the urge to feel how soft Near's hair was.

"I'll be going now," Near mumbled and made to move, but Matt rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright we can have our little date tomorrow," Matt felt just how scrawny he was under his baggy pajamas. "Come by my room after classes, hopefully Mello won't be here. Actually maybe it'd be good if he is here, it'll be proof," Matt's grin didn't waver as he thought about Mello's reaction.

"I look forward to our date," Near said and without another word walked away dragging his bunny along with him.

"Me too," Matt said softly and found he wasn't really lying, it would at the very least be interesting. He's always been curious about the little albino in first place, but he always had a wall up. Only Mello was brash enough to smash through the wall to insult him and only L was actively allowed through that wall.

Almost immediately after Near left his line of sight Mello appeared from the opposite direction, "What are you smiling about?"

Matt wasn't entirely aware he had actually been smiling, "I'm going to beat Peach in Mario Kart, I'm just excited."

"Whatever," Mello shrugged him off and bit into the chocolate bar he was eating.

"Plus I have a date with Near tomorrow," Matt watched Mello almost choke on the chocolate.

"What! You're going on a date with the sheep?" Mello looked at him incredulously still coughing from the chocolate lodged in his throat.

"After your conversation with him about his inability to find anyone willing to date him, he decided to ask me out," Matt couldn't help himself from smiling at the expression on Mello's face although he was worried about Mello getting upset.

"Why you?" Mello asked the question that Matt himself had been asking himself only a minute ago. Mello growled, "He's definitely just doing this to annoy me, the stupid little sheep."

"Apparently I'm the most viable candidate, it's the closest thing to a compliment I've ever heard from him," Matt admitted already picking up his discarded controller ready to reclaim his top spot.

"You're actually going on a date with him?" Mello repeated raising an eyebrow, still clearly not quite believing Matt.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Matt smiled and this time it wasn't because of Mello's expression.

* * *

 **A/N**

This just randomly came together and I only expect it to be a few chapters, but I felt like writing it out. I think Near is cool, but most stories written about him place him with Mello and I guess I wanted to break the trend.

I hope you enjoyed this, let me know what you think and as always thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Matt had been forced to listen to Mello complain about Near from the moment he mentioned the date and it only made him more interested in going. Thankfully during classes he received a small respite from the constant stream of hatred towards to the smaller albino. He understood that Mello was angry that Near constantly showed him up, but he still thought it was a bit much to have developed such an immense amount of hate. Of course he'd never say that to his best friend, there was no point in getting on his bad side.

A hesitant knock on his door brought him out of his reverie and caught the attention of both himself and Mello. Luckily he moved quickly enough to be the one to open the door, he didn't want Mello to scare poor little Near off before things even began. He gently opened the door and found Near standing there a small toy robot clasped in his left hand. "Hey Near," he greeted the boy who offered one of his odd small half-smiles in return.

"Hello," the boy's voice was somewhat toneless, but that wasn't surprising nor were his habit of twisting his hair and wearing pajamas instead of what would be considered normal clothing.

"Are you wearing pajamas again?" Matt asked looking at the baggy attire. He wasn't pretending to be an expert on fashion, but Near's clothing was abnormal by any standard.

"I only have pajamas to wear," Near explained raised one sleeved arm.

"You should wear something else for a date," Matt informed him looking at the attire critically. It was cute, but not really fitting for much else besides sleeping. Then again he had to remind himself that Near wasn't exactly a normal person. None of them were, but even by Wammy standards Near was unique.

Near repeated himself, "I only have pajamas to wear," but he added, "I apologize if that isn't proper attire for a date."

"Nah, it's cool you can borrow some of my clothes," Matt opened his door a bit wider inviting Near to step in. He wasn't sure what possessed him to offer the boy his clothing, but it wasn't a big deal.

"Oh," Near seemed almost surprised at the idea, "Ok," he agreed slightly hesitantly and lingered for a few moments before slowly entering the room.

"Come on in, just make sure not to upset Mello you know how he gets," Matt moved aside as Near took a few shuffling steps into his and Mello's shared room.

"My presence generally serves to upset him," Near admitted keeping close to Matt trying to avoid the burning glare of Mello who hadn't spoken.

"That's fair," Matt started rutting through his drawers and pulled out a few things. "Here go in the bathroom and put them on."

Near complied shuffling into the bathroom he reappeared soon after wearing jeans that were too large even after being rolled up and a blue tee-shirt. "These don't fit correctly," he looked at Matt who was staring at him appraisingly.

"I can't believe it, you look even cuter in normal clothes," Matt sounded shocked and was even more surprised when he realized he had said that out loud rather in his head.

"Thank you?" Near turned it into a question trying to fix the shirt simply leading to it sliding further down baring his shoulder, Matt found his attention being drawn to the exposed skin, but shook any remotely inappropriate thoughts out of his mind.

"I'm trying to be nice for Matt's sake, but you two better get out of here before I stop holding back," Mello growled through the chocolate he was chewing on.

"I agree, though I wonder if silently glowering at me is really nice," Near started shuffling towards the door and Matt followed after him still amused with the entire situation.

"I said trying to be nice, not succeeding. Now go away," Mello called out before Matt closed the door. Once they were safely away from Mello's possible rage Near finally faced him and asked with wide eyes, "What do we do now?"

"Just follow me," Matt took Near's cool hand and led him down the hallway to go on their psuedo-date. If Matt was being honest he didn't expect much, Near's cold attitude didn't really lend itself to social settings. It would probably be a one off thing, Near would win his bet Matt would get to witness Mello's sworn rival and everyone would be happy.

* * *

"How we just do a little at home movie night?" Matt asked Near who shrugged.

His lack of knowledge on all things romantic didn't really lend itself to planning a date. "I did some research, but I think I would have trouble applying what I've studied so I'll defer to Matt on this subject."

Matt was slightly flattered that Near put the effort into studying up on the subject so he felt more determined to show the slightly younger male a good time. "Alright let's grab some snacks, then I can clear out the play room and we'll get this underway."

Near nodded and the pair made their way into the kitchen it only a took a minute to find the popcorn and pop it into the microwave. The kitchen was always stocked with snacks and sweets considering the sweet teeth of the various residents so it wasn't hard to find a good assortment of movie type food.

"So what do you wanna watch?" Matt asked while they waited for the popcorn to finish popping.

"I wouldn't know, I don't watch movies very often,"Near responded tearing his attention from the microwave.

"Well the stereotypical move would be to pick a horror movie, but I don't know if you'd like that," it wasn't like Matt was an expert on dating, but that seemed like what couples seemed to do.

"It would be interesting to experience a horror movie," Near concluded and that sealed the deal.

"Alright if that's what you think," Matt agreed just as the popcorn finished. He got it into a bowl and the two made their way into the playroom grabbing some candy as they left the kitchen. Matt forced a few kids out and popped the movie in ready for some horror. It was about an evil possessed doll, Matt had heard it was extremely scary which was why he was surprised Roger had bought it at the request of a few kids.

"Sit next to me and if you get scared just let me know," Matt patted the cushion next to him.

"I think I should survive the movie, but I will let Matt know if it surpasses my threshold for horror," Near gingerly sat down, but agreed to Matt's terms.

The movie started playing and Near snuggled up against him leaving Matt very conscious of the warm body pressing against his own during the film. He wasn't sure if he could label it as a success or not because Near spent the movie commenting on the plot and the various things happening pointing out how people were acting illogically. Matt enjoyed Near's play by play far more than the movie itself which was par, but not great.

"How'd you like it?" Matt asked. "I honestly didn't think it was that scary, but it wasn't bad," Matt gave his short review.

"It was interesting, but I believe I would have been more likely to survive than the silly characters," Near looked off into the distance as if imagining himself in the middle of the film.

"I agree, but you're also far smarter than those people were written to be," Matt pointed out.

"Thank you," Near rose from the couch as he thanked Matt.

"It was more of a fact than a compliment," Matt said and in reality it was. None of the people in the movie had genius level intellect like Near, but he wondered if Near would actually be able to run fast enough to escape.

"It was still complimentary in a sense," Near walked to the light switch while Matt turned the television off.

"I suppose so, alright let's head back to our rooms I guess we can conclude out date," Matt reached out to take Near's hand again and the younger boy complied.

"Thank you Matt for agreeing to this," Near sounded uncharacteristically shy in his thanks which Matt found cute, like so many other things about Near.

"It was my pleasure," and Matt found he wasn't lying. He actually did enjoy spending time with Wammy's top student. The date was interesting, but nothing had really surprised him until the very last minute.

"Wait a moment," Near squeezed Matt's hand right as they arrived in front of his room.

"What's up?" Matt asked once again noticing the shy look on his face.

"I know of one staple of a date which we did not touch upon," Near said and rather than explain further he simply leaned in and gave Matt a soft kiss lingering for a few moments. Immediately after pulling back he shuffled into his own room closing the door behind himself. Which left Matt standing in the hallway shocked at the development. He touched a hand to his tingling lips and slowly opened his door stepping through still confused by the kiss and how he enjoyed it.

"Why do you look so weird?" Mello asked glancing up from a book he was reading when he saw Matt first walk into their shared room.

"I'm just confused," Matt admitted wiping away whatever expression had found its way onto his face.

"That's what happens when you hang around Near, he's a freak," Mello gestured to the door.

"Maybe, but I'm starting to think that's not an entirely bad thing," Matt said more to himself than to Mello.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Matt could hear the annoyance in Mello's voice starting to rise, but he didn't really care.

"I'm not sure," Matt sighed and fell down onto his bed to stare at the ceiling and sort how his feelings and beliefs about Near had altered in the small period of time. When he decided to go to sleep early all he saw behind his closed eyes were flashes of white.

Mello huffed, "Whatever."

* * *

 **A/N**

Chapter 2 is complete let me know what you thought.


	3. Chapter 3

The seemingly overnight change in the way Matt treated Near was noticed rather quickly by the students at Wammy. After all they were all gifted children in their own ways, some just happened to be more intelligent than others.

From the moment the day began Matt made a conscious effort to spend time with Near, it began during breakfast. "Uh, Near why don't you sit with me?" Matt said to Near as he shuffled by during breakfast after getting a small bowl of cereal. Most of the children seemed surprised by the offer, Near chief among them.

Despite the confusion that quickly flitted across his features Near nodded and padded over to the chair Matt was seated in. He placed his bowl on the table and climbed into the closest seat without a word and started eating.

"Good morning Near," Matt wasn't sure how to talk to Near so it came out awkwardly.

"Good morning," Near repeated back without any inflection.

"So what's up?" Matt asked not entirely sure how Near would answer.

"I didn't get a large amount of rest so I am quite tired," Near yawned almost as a confirmation after he spoke. Matt was just happy he didn't take it literally and answer something about the ceiling.

"Oh," Matt paused, "I didn't keep you up late, right?" Matt actually had no idea if Near had some bedtime or sleep schedule that he'd accidentally messed up.

"No, after our excursion I proceeded to work on my lego city, I spent more time building than I initially intended," Near spoke in his usual monotone, "On a more positive note I did get a large amount of work done."

Matt decided to go out on a limb, "Do you think I could come over and see your lego city?"

Near once again seemed thrown through a loop, though it didn't visibly show aside from a slight paused in his eating. He recovered quickly and offered Matt a small smile, "That would be fine. Come to my room after classes, I can also show you my robots." Matt wished he didn't find Near's smile so cute.

Matt found himself staring at Near much more than necessary during class and was roughly brought out of it by a shove from Mello. "What are you doing?" Mello hissed and Matt wasn't entirely sure how to respond so he just shrugged and tried to pay attention to the teacher droning on.

However it wasn't long before his attention was dragged back to Near whose note taking was very different from Mello's or his own. Matt just wrote down what was on the board adding a few notes when he thought the teacher said something important, while Mello tried to write down everything the teacher was saying at high speed. When he looked back at Near he saw the boy would occasionally write down a single word or phrase or draw what appeared to be a doodle.

Near dropped his pencil at one point and Matt knew he had been caught staring when Near turned around to pick it up. The younger male gave him a slightly questioning glance and Matt fought away a blush. Near returned to his work as if nothing had happened, but Matt still felt his cheeks were warm as class continued.

Somehow the more he stared at Near the more curious he became about the smaller male. He also noted that rather than discovering any flaws Near just seemed to grow more attractive with each passing minute. He felt slightly unbalanced by Near and silently admitted he had an obvious crush on the boy, but he planned on keeping it from being too obvious. That was clearly failing if the glares he kept receiving from Mello meant anything.

* * *

After class finally ended he followed Near's slowly retreating form to his room. Matt knew Near had his own room which was somewhat rare as most were shared, but the majority of the children couldn't handle Near as a roommate. Nobody complained about the situation aside from Mello's occasional grumblings, but he enjoyed living with Matt enough not to actually bring it up to Roger.

Near slipped in before he caught up, but the door was left open a crack. Matt took this as an invitation and followed him into the somewhat dark room. It was completed coated in toys, towers of cards, trains, his robots, and one huge city created from legos. The city started in the left corner of the room and seemed to have expanded from there it stretched outwards a few feet in an almost uniform quadrant.

"I was planning on connecting a sister city and a suburban area, would Matt like to help?" Near's voice knocked Matt back into reality and he stopped looking around.

"Sure what do you want me to do?" Matt was surprised at the fact that he was actually excited, maybe it had to do with the fact that Near was placing trust in him.

"I am going to build the suburban area first because I don't want my younger toys growing up in a city environment, I don't know if it's healthy for them," Near said staying completely serious despite the fact that he was talking about the living conditions of toy robots. "You can make another city and we'll build a bridge to connect them," Near gestured to a place nearby as where he should start his city.

"Alright I'm going to make a dangerous city full of crime and debauchery," Matt said in a fake deep voice mainly as a joke, but Near nodded clearly not noticing that he wasn't serious.

"Just make sure you build a jail," Near accepted the idea easily surprising Matt who under normal circumstances would have thought Near would shoot the idea down.

"A jail?" Matt echoed.

"Well, we're going to be responsible for solving any crimes and I won't tolerate criminals running free in my world. So we need a place to put them," Near explained and Matt quickly noted that Near had already decided Matt would be his partner in crime fighting.

"Sure I'll try, but I don't think my city will look that great, I don't have much experience," Matt admitted playing with a gray lego.

"I can help if necessary, for now just try to figure out a layout," Near hadn't paused his methodical building at all as they spoke. Matt allowed himself to zone out and start building listening to the light clicking of legos being put into place and Near's occasional shuffling. Matt was far less bored than he had been expecting, in fact his imagination had been ignited somewhere along the line.

He was broken from his almost trance like state when he heard Near stand up and walk away from his work. Matt surveyed Near's work and was suitably impressed, the younger boy had managed to build a well designed park as well as a few streets dotted with a few houses of varying intricacy. Matt on the other hand mainly had blocky buildings which he was feeling much less happy about. "What are you doing Near?"

"I'm gathering my townspeople, my robots aren't the only residents," Near replied crouching to grab something Matt couldn't quite see. He returned and laid out what he had been holding next to Matt. Looking closely he could see they were handmade finger puppets with surprising detail. Among the figures he was quickly placing down, he saw his own being set down near the lake. Mello was quickly placed beside him which wasn't surprising, but Near took his white puppet and placed it alone under a tree. After all the puppets had been placed Near was the only one that remained entirely on his own, simply observing everyone else.

Matt somehow found the scene sad, even Near expected to end up alone. Deciding to rectify the problem he carefully picked up the Near puppet and placed him right next to his puppet close enough for them to be holding hands.

Near looked at him without much of an expression, but Matt thought he seemed curious. Despite not being asked a question Matt decided to be honest, "Near you'll never be alone again, I'll make sure of it."

Near was quiet and Matt wasn't sure if he'd been a bit to forward with the younger boy, but Near seemed too innocent to allow to wallow in solitude. There was silence for a few breaths and just before Matt decided he'd made a mistake Near moved closer and brought him into an awkward hug. Matt held him close feeling the slight warmth of Near's body and inhaling his scent. Near didn't smell like any products, he just seemed clean with an underlying scent of something that Matt decided he liked. He would have held the hug for longer so he could get a better mental picture of Near's body, but Near pulled away quickly. He obviously wasn't used to physical contact and Matt wondered when the last time he received a hug was.

"Matt should probably go back to his room before Mello becomes too upset," Near effectively dismissed him without looking up from the next block he grabbed. From anyone else it would have seemed short and rude, but Matt knew not to take it personally.

He chose not to press his luck any further and left after a quick goodbye.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Chapter 3 is complete, I hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought and thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days after his odd confession and Near's hug Matt once again found himself watching the other male. He didn't consider it stalking, just because he was watching his every move didn't mean he was too absorbed for it to be healthy. He wasn't sure if he expected some huge change to happen after spending a bit of time together, but the only change was that Near spoke to him and occasionally ate with him. He was fairly sure that Mello's presence had something to do with Near not getting too close.

By the third day he had given up on being subtle about the fact that he was watching and Mello easily picked up on it. Matt wasn't surprised Mello was his best his friend and equally interested in Near, but for entirely different reasons. "What's going on with you?" Mello half-growled as they left the classroom.

"What do you mean?" Matt knew playing innocent was useless, but he did so anyway.

"With you and the Sheep, you've been staring at him like a girl in love," Mello glared at him.

"I'm not in love with Near, he's just cooler than I thought," Matt defended himself. He knew he wasn't in love with Near, but there was some form of interest bubbling under the surface.

"Just watch out, don't let him infect you with his creepiness. You'll be over this stupid, whatever it is, in a few days" Mello stalked off and Matt was actually surprised it didn't blow up into some huge fight. Normally Mello would be more upset, but he clearly assumed Matt's interest would fade. Matt thought the opposite, he wanted to explore whatever his feelings for Near were.

He decided since he'd invited himself to Near's room he should return the favor, so when he plucked up the nerve he was going to invite Near over.

"Hey Near," Matt called to the albino when he found him in the hallway, "Can I ask you something?"

Near paused whatever he had been doing with his bunny and slowly turned to face Matt, he shuffled over to him and fixed his grey eyes on Matt, "Yes?"

Matt always found himself frozen when Near's grey eyes locked on him so it took him a few moments to ask, "Do you wanna come to my room to play some video games? Peach has been way too full of herself since she beat me in Mario kart so I want to put her in her place, um would you like to help?"

"Who is Peach?" Near's only reaction was the slightest quirk of a single eyebrow.

"Princess Peach, a character from the game," Matt quickly explained.

"And she's self aware? That's implausible," Near looked away from Matt for a moment and Matt couldn't begin to read the younger man's thoughts so he tried to backtrack.

"No, I'm just-" Matt released a breath, "I didn't mean literally." He couldn't figure out a great way to explain it to the socially inept Near so instead he simply asked again, "Would you like to come play video games?"

"I've never played a video game, this could be a good learning experience," Near responded not exactly answering the question. Matt was stuck on the fact that Near had never played a video game before.

"You've never played video games, ever?" Matt asked incredulously, having trouble understanding how the boy lived without games in his life. Video games were an integral part of his every day life, for Near to survive without them truly proved his genius.

"I don't own any and nobody has wanted to play with me," Near shrugged casually, the bunny flopping as he did so.

"Well now you have me," Matt replied resolutely and Near really did have him. Near had him wrapped up in ways he couldn't imagine and Matt found he didn't mind. Yes, Near definitely had Matt in every sense of the word.

"I suppose I do," Near mused absently. Returning to the present he finally answered Matt's original question, "Yes, I will come to Matt's room to play his games."

"Great, uh follow me," Matt started walking and glanced back just to check if Near was actually following. Near trailed him by a few steps moving at his usual odd shuffling pace, he made a mental note to ask Near about his physical health.

Without any preamble Matt threw his door open and flipped the lights on, silently thanking God that Mello wasn't around. He quickly grabbed a two controllers and turned on Mario kart. He wasn't sure how Near was going to do, but he didn't particularly care he was just happy to have him around.

Of course it only took the young genius a few tries to somehow become great at the game. Matt felt slightly put out at how easy it was for him, but one glance at his faint smile and Matt's anger melted away.

After Near managed to hit a few characters including Peach with red shells Matt grabbed Near into a one arm hug and cheered. He felt the other boy tense in his arms and quickly released him. Near didn't say anything he merely kept driving and soon the awkwardness Matt was feeling managed to melt away. He made a mental note not to surprise Near with affection or physical contact in general.

Matt's experience gave him the edge and he still managed to take home the trophy, with Near managing to snag third place overall. Luigi took second place and Matt quickly denoted him as Near's new rival. Peach was left back in fifth place giving Matt a small sense of achievement.

"Great job Near," Matt complimented the albino honestly.

"That was fun," Near said placing his controller down, his tone almost sounded like it had a slight question woven into it as if he wasn't quite sure it was fun. He politely added, "Thank you for allowing me to play with you."

"No problem," Matt rested a hand on his shoulder, once again feeling how small Near was and feeling the slight tense of the other's shoulder, "I enjoyed it, I like spending time with you Near."

"Thank you," Near repeated though he sounded slightly shy and Matt was reminded that Near didn't really have anyone to spend time with. The person he was closest to was Mello and they hated each other. Well Mello hated Near, he wasn't sure how Near felt about Mello.

"Near can I ask you a question?"Matt asked him before either of them moved from their positions on the floor.

Near nodded his head in acceptance so Matt asked, "How do you feel about Mello?"

"He's intelligent, but he has trouble with being too rash and not looking at things objectively," Near said talking about him in a slightly clinical way.

"No, I mean as a person how to do you feel about him?" Matt repeated the question.

"I believe I answered the question?" Near once again slipped into the questioning tone for a statement.

Matt decided to ask a slightly different questions, "Let me rephrase the question, do you like or dislike Mello?" Matt was actually really interested in seeing the other half of the rivalry. He'd lived with Mello long enough to understand his feelings on Near, but Near had never made his as clear.

"I don't have any particular love or hatred of Mello. I think it would be mutually beneficial if we could work together one day, but I won't allow him to beat me in the competition to become L's successor if only one of us can take the role," Near sounded thoughtful as if he was rolling the words around carefully.

"So you don't dislike Mello even though he flat out hates you?" Matt flinched as his rough phrasing, but he was surprised that Near could face such hatred without retaliating.

"I don't have any particular ill will towards him," Near shrugged, but added, "Still I prefer not to spend time with him because he's constantly angry at me."

Matt wasn't sure if he should tell Mello that Near didn't feel the same way as he did or if it was something he shouldn't share because Near told him in confidence. "Hopefully one day you'll get along,

"Maybe," Near said lightly before quickly saying goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow Near," Matt gave the smaller boy a smile which was met with a faint one. Matt found himself blushing slightly, thankfully Near missed while he turned to leave the room. His warm cheeks confirmed that his feelings were turning into a crush and definitely not fading away despite what Mello had been hoping.

* * *

 **A/N**

Chapter 4 is complete. Matt knows he has a crush and he's at the very least formed some sort of friendship with Near. His main obstacles are going to be Mello and trying to decipher Near's feelings.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

Matt was sitting in his room engrossed in his thoughts which recently only seemed to be swirling around two things video games like usual and Near. He was knocked away from his musings of white hair when heard Mello's voice yelling.

It was slightly muffled by the door, but once he stepped into the hall he could hear it clearly, "-re you doing with Matt?"

He approached the sounds and just managed to catch Near say, "Matt isn't here with me, I'm not doing anything?" He voice took on a questioning tone that Matt knew Mello hated.

"I know he isn't with you now, I'm not stupid. I mean, why have you been hanging around Matt so often? Why is he bothering to spend time with you, what did you do?" Mello asked growing progressively more angry. Matt wanted to stop the arguing, but he held off because he wanted to hear Near's answer.

"You informed me that nobody could ever want to be with me and I attempted to see if your theory was true, so I asked Matt on a date. After that point I played no part in Matt's continued interest aside from spending time with him when he asked," Near couldn't move because he was pinned to a wall, but he attempted to shrug.

"Are you suggesting this is my fault?" Mello asked in a voice that promised pain if Near answered in a way he didn't like.

"Why is there a fault? Matt is simply spending some of his time with me, I'm not completely monopolizing him, you spend more time with him than I do," Near pointed out and Matt silently agreed there wasn't a problem with them hanging out.

"The issue is that he likes you," Mello shook him once for effect. Near was too light to resist so he simply hung placidly a few inches above the ground suspended by Mello's grip.

"Likes me?" Near repeated cocking his head slightly. Matt almost smiled at Near's lack of understanding. He was so intelligent and seemed to know everything except when it was related to emotions concerning himself.

"Yes, he's distracted by you and I'm getting annoyed," Mello's eyes narrowed and Near continued to meet his gaze unblinkingly.

"What am I expected to do? I can't control what distracts him," Near responded.

"Just stop spending time with him, so he can get over you," Mello demanded.

"No," Near replied simply.

"What? Why?" Mello growled not used to being directly denied.

"I seem to enjoy my time with Matt, it makes me," Near paused for a moment mulling over his thoughts, "happy?"

"He makes you happy, do you even know how to be anything other than a crazy robot?" Mello looking at him surprised and Matt found himself shocked as well, even Near seemed slightly confused by his admission.

"I think that is the most likely explanation and I believe I make him happy," Near appeared thoughtful and ignored the robot comment. Mello for his part looked mildly disgusted with Near, and shoved him away storming down the hallway, thankfully in the opposite direction of where Matt was hiding. Matt was actually surprised that Mello didn't hit Near in his anger, but he knew that he'd receive a long rant later about how annoying Near was.

Matt felt slightly guilty that he didn't step in to protect Near, but he was feeling a particular brand of warmth at Near's words. Matt hadn't even been sure Near could truly admit he liked spending time with Matt, he seemed very level in his emotional state not moving in a positive or negative direction. He also acknowledged that Near was correct and he did make him feel happy.

He stepped out from where he was hiding to see Near still sitting on the ground leaning against the wall where Mello had pinned him. "Are you alright Near?"

Near seemed to think about answering the question before answering, "Why do you ask?"

"Um, because you're on the floor," Matt still trying to get used to Near. Matt knew he liked Near, but he couldn't pretend he truly understand the smaller boy.

"Oh," Near seemed to realize his state, "yes I am."

"So," Matt repeated the question slowly, "are you alright?"

Near moved to stand up, but winced slightly as he placed weight on his left leg. If Matt hadn't been watching so closely he probably would have missed the slight contortion on his face from the pain. Before he could do anything to help Near finally answered his question, "It appears I am slightly injured." Matt figured he landed oddly when he finally fell down.

"Yeah I noticed," Matt responded automatically and belatedly realized that might have been a bit rude, but Near didn't seem offended he merely shifted his weight against the wall to keep pressure off his left leg. Matt amended his statement by adding, "I'm taking you to the nurse just hold on." Rather than support Near and help him walk like a normal person would have done he decided to scoop Near up into a bridal hold. He didn't bother mentally denying he enjoyed holding onto the boy and feeling his warm body and slight weight press against him.

Near for his part didn't do much besides make an almost inaudible sound of surprise, which Matt found adorable as he did with most things related to Near. He tried not to be creepy by inhaling the boy's scent or something to that effect, but he could still smell that faint something that was wholly Near. He knew Near would be uncomfortable with any major contact so Matt resisted his urge to kiss his way down Near's neck and mark him. He wasn't a possessive person, but seeing Near's exposed collarbone and neck created some time of desire.

With a deep breath he calmed himself and kept a steady pace carrying Near who still seemed rigid in his arms. Trying to calm him Matt half whispered, "Near just relax I won't drop you." Somehow it worked and Near did relax if only a little. Although they received a few odd glances, nobody moved to stop them or do anything. Sure, there would be rumors flying in a matter of hours, but Matt simply took pleasure in the feeling of Near in his arms allowing everything outside their time together fade away.

Matt couldn't deny he was a bit disappointing when he came to the nurse's office and had to set Near down to open the door. With a few supported shuffling steps Near made it to the bed, but the nurse seemed to be out. Thankfully, Matt helped patch Mello up many times when he didn't want anyone to know he had gotten into fights or got injured breaking the rules. It was enough for him to feel comfortable binding Near's ankle, which he tried to look at as he peeled Near's sock off, thankfully as per usual he didn't wear his shoes.

It really wasn't bad, just slightly swollen and Near didn't seem particularly worried, though he never did. "Let me grab some ice, aspirin, and then I'll wrap it up. Everything will be fine," Matt gave his unprofessional opinion.

"I trust Matt," Near said without any obvious inflection, but like usual Matt managed to feel flattered that Near considered his opinion valid and put some degree of trust in him. After carefully placing a cold compress on Near's ankle and handing two pills and a glass of water Matt sat down deciding to wait for the swelling to decrease a bit before wrapping the injury.

Just before Matt thought they could have some stereotypical heart-to-heart in the hospital type of scenario the nurse walked in. She quickly noticed what was wrong and after a few questions she thanked Matt for his help and took over ruining his ability to privately speak to Near. He decided to excuse himself for a little while, "Near I'll see you in a little while, I'll come to your room so we can avoid Mello." The nurse walked out soon after she entered not having done anything to actually help Near. Apparently Mello took his anger out on some random kid and Matt didn't wasn't upset when she left. She promised to be back and warned them not to mess around so Matt vowed to leave Near's leg alone, he didn't want Near in trouble.

"Matt isn't staying?" Near asked and though his voice didn't truly convey it Matt felt there was some emotion swimming in the question.

"Would you like me to stay?" Matt asked feeling a small smile make its way onto his face. Near chose not to answer the question instead he simply waited until Matt decided to say, "On second thought, I think I'll stay here with you. You're better company than Mello anyway, especially when he's angry."

Once again Near didn't answer, but Matt didn't expect him to. So Matt pulled a chair next to the little bed the nurse had forced Near to rest on and carried the conversation as he usually did. He almost reached for Near's hand, but stopped himself halfway. Near caught the movement and glanced at Matt's hand then up to Matt's eyes. Matt blushed at Near's knowing eyes and felt the blush deeper as Near took the initiative and lightly held onto his hand. Matt managed to catch Near whisper, "Thank you for staying Matt."

"No problem," Matt felt the heat from his face finally fade as he ]held the cool hand in his own. Near was so small, so breakable and Matt felt a surge of protectiveness as a comfortable silence fell over the room.

* * *

 **A/N**

Surprise, I'm back and no this story is not dead. Sorry for taking so long, I had completely lost inspiration for this story, but once I started the chapter I couldn't stop writing. If there are any typos I apologize I'm not feeling my best, but I tried to keep things in order.

I know the characters are somewhat out of character specifically Matt and Near, but I figure throwing a bit of love/interest/crush (wherever it stands now) is enough to throw things off center.

Thanks for reading please let me know what you think.


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